Finance Minister P Chidambaram has directed the Indian Bank [Get Quote] Association (IBA) to resolve ongoing issues faced by bank employees through dialogue.

The minister has called for a tripartite meeting comprising the chief labour commissioner, United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) and IBA representatives on February 22 in New Delhi.

Based on the outcome of the meeting, UFBU will decide whether the strike is necessary, said UFBU Convenor C H Venkatachalam, after holding discussions with the finance minister. Venkatachalam said the finance minister had given him a positive response, and the issue is now before the IBA.

"If IBA's attitude is positive then strike may not be warranted," he said. "In this meeting, we have submitted all our demands in detail and told the minister that IBA has not implemented its earlier commitment," Venkatachalam said.

He pointed out that in March last year, the finance minister, IBA and chief labour commissioner had signed a MoU on the same demand. "In the MoU, IBA had committed to resolving all issues in a timebound manner on or before June 30, 2007, but so for no progress has taken place."

More than 10 lakh (one million) bank employees are likely to paralyse operations across the public sector unless their demands for a second option of pension, compassionate appointments, halting of work outsourcing and filling up vacant posts are met.

UFBU staged dharna in front of all public sector banks across the country on February 19. Further dharnas are planned before Parliament in Delhi, the state capitals and other cities on February 22, followed by a two-day strike on February 25 and 26.

From the last week of March 2008, the unions plan to go on indefinite strike. Co-operative banks, RRBs and deposit collectors have been excluded from the strike.